“Fargo” won the Emmy on Monday for a miniseries. It had been considered the clear front-runner as one of the night’s most-nominated and critically lauded series.

The FX anthology series is based on the Academy Award-winning movie from the Coen brothers. Its first season centered on a “true crime” story with a cast of characters separate from the movie, led by Billy Bob Thornton, who plays creepy drifter Lorne Malvo, and Martin Freeman as a hapless insurance agent whose life is forever changed by a chance encounter with Malvo.

The series, helmed by executive producer and writer Noah Hawley, was a critics favorite and, despite its all-star cast, drew as much attention for its unknown roster of talent, namely scene-stealer Allison Tolman as Det. Molly Solverson. All helping it to accrue 18 Emmy nominations in its first cycle.

“Fargo’s” win comes during a year in which movies and miniseries received their own categories at the Emmys after a vote by the TV academy this year to undo a change made three years ago to combine the categories. The move underscores the rise of telepics and event series on television.